Installation of roof tiles typically requires that battens, or thin strips of wood or metal, be attached to a roofing substrate. Thereafter roof tiles are attached to the battens, usually by nailing or otherwise fastening the tile to the battens along an upper edge of the tile. Known batten and roof tile arrangements, however, can give rise to problems.
For example, because most battens are made of wood or metal, they are subject to rot, corrosion, and decay. Thus, over time the battens may deteriorate. In addition, the manner in which roof tiles are attached to the battens (i.e. by fastening the tiles to the battens along a top edge of the tiles) leaves the roof tiles prone to tile rotation, which is a condition that occurs when wind pushes the eave end of a tile upward, causing the tile to rotate about its point of attachment to the batten. Tile rotation is undesirable and dangerous, because it causes the tiles to break free from the battens and fly through the air during high wind events. Both decay of the battens and tile rotation can be costly, requiring regular repair and maintenance of the roof.
What is needed therefore, is a roof tile installation system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. For example, the present invention provides a roof tile installation assembly having a plurality of battens, each having a front end portion and a back end portion, and defining a channel between the front end portion and the back end portion, and at least one roof tile having a front end and a back end, the back end having a downwardly protruding flange. In use, the plurality of battens are preferably arranged parallel to one another on a rooftop so that the front end portion of each batten is toward the eave of the rooftop and the back end portion of each batten is toward the peak of the rooftop. In addition, each roof tile flange is preferably arranged to be received by the batten channel so that the roof tile is substantially constrained from moving forward or backward relative to the batten. Preferably, the front end of each roof tile is arranged to be supported by the next adjacent batten.
The present invention also provides a method of installing a roof tile assembly, including the step of attaching a plurality of battens to a rooftop, each of the battens having a front end portion and a back end portion, and defining a channel between the front end portion and the back end portion, the battens arranged parallel to one another on the rooftop so that the front end portion of each batten is toward the eave of the rooftop and the back end portion of each batten is toward the peak of the rooftop. The method further includes applying an adhesive to the back end portion of each batten, and attaching roof tiles to the battens, the roof tiles each having a front end and a back end, with a protruding flange at the back end, wherein each roof tile is arranged so that the protruding flange is received by the channel of a batten, and the roof tile is attached to an adjacent batten by contacting the adhesive of the adjacent batten at a place at or near the front end of the roof tile.